Post by Nester the Lark on Sept 14, 2023 11:24:41 GMT -5
So, I wouldn’t say there were any huge megaton announcements this time, but there were still some fun surprises. And Mario. Lots of Mario.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Nice to see a new Mario vs. Donkey Kong that takes its inspiration from Donkey Kong ‘94. Is this being developed by NST?
I’m somewhat interested.
EDIT: Ah, this is a remake of the GBA game. I never played that one.
Another Code: Recollection
I never played Trace Memory, but I always heard good things about it. Not sure if I’m interested in these, but it’s cool to see Nintendo bring back more obscure stuff. And unlike the Famicom Detective Club remakes, these are in full 3D. (Not that I have issues with 2D, obviously. The FDC remakes looked quite nice. It’s just interesting that they put the effort into remaking these in 3D.)
Princess Peach: Showtime!
This looks really cute. It does seem like a minigame collection, but I like all of her different outfits. It’s nice to see Peach as more of a heroine lately.
SaGa Emerald Beyond
Was definitely not expecting a new SaGa announcement in a Direct. Gameplay-wise, it seems most similar to Scarlet Grace – Ambitions. From what I’ve seen so far, SaGa fans are quite excited for this.
The SaGa series is on sale right now on the eShop. I know Baten Kaitos HD is out today, and Nayuta is next week, but since I’ll likely get each of those digitally, there’s less incentive for me to get them at launch. I'm still undecided, but I may wait for a sale. (Bandai Namco and NISA have sales fairly regularly.) In the mean time, I’m considering a SaGa game.
Contra: Operation Galuga
A new Contra, and it’s developed by WayForward?! Heck yeah, I’m in!
This is considered a “re-imagining” of the original game, which is kind of what Contra 4 was. So basically, this is “Contra 4-2.” (If it had online multiplayer, it’d be perfect.)
After the disaster of Contra: Rogue Corps, I think it’s fair to say that WayForward understands Contra far better than Nobuya Nakazato.
Unicorn Overlord
As soon as I saw this, I recognized Vanillaware’s art style. Don’t know if I’ll play this, but it looks gorgeous, and I like the character designs.
Noah and Mio amiibo
Coming January 19, which I admit, is sooner than I expected. We also now know what they do: they unlock more costumes. Noah and Mio will get Consul N and M skins (this has long been requested by fans), and all six characters can take their jackets off.
This isn’t super substantial (they'll likely be unlockable without the amiibo), and I don’t know if I’ll get the amiibo, but I do kinda want them anyway.
F-Zero 99
I was going to predict an F-Zero reveal one last time due to it being rumored earlier this year, but it was spoiled by the leak.
But finally, F-Zero is back! It might not be exactly what I would’ve hoped for, but an F-Zero 99 was definitely something I would’ve wanted to see as part of the, uh, “99” series(?). I think it’ll lend itself well to this, and I’m looking forward to trying it!
It’s strange that only the original four vehicles are available for a 99-payer battle royale game, but I guess it makes sense considering this is based on the original F-Zero. (Maybe they’ll add others later?)
Overall, there was quite a lot of Mario in this Direct, just as there was in the June Direct. Yeah, it makes sense because of the movie and all, but I am feeling a little bit of Mario fatigue already. (And all these games aren’t even out yet.) But there was also some representation for more obscure series’, too. I’m definitely not disappointed. I’ll grade the Direct a solid B.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Nice to see a new Mario vs. Donkey Kong that takes its inspiration from Donkey Kong ‘94. Is this being developed by NST?
I’m somewhat interested.
EDIT: Ah, this is a remake of the GBA game. I never played that one.
Another Code: Recollection
I never played Trace Memory, but I always heard good things about it. Not sure if I’m interested in these, but it’s cool to see Nintendo bring back more obscure stuff. And unlike the Famicom Detective Club remakes, these are in full 3D. (Not that I have issues with 2D, obviously. The FDC remakes looked quite nice. It’s just interesting that they put the effort into remaking these in 3D.)
Princess Peach: Showtime!
This looks really cute. It does seem like a minigame collection, but I like all of her different outfits. It’s nice to see Peach as more of a heroine lately.
SaGa Emerald Beyond
Was definitely not expecting a new SaGa announcement in a Direct. Gameplay-wise, it seems most similar to Scarlet Grace – Ambitions. From what I’ve seen so far, SaGa fans are quite excited for this.
The SaGa series is on sale right now on the eShop. I know Baten Kaitos HD is out today, and Nayuta is next week, but since I’ll likely get each of those digitally, there’s less incentive for me to get them at launch. I'm still undecided, but I may wait for a sale. (Bandai Namco and NISA have sales fairly regularly.) In the mean time, I’m considering a SaGa game.
Contra: Operation Galuga
A new Contra, and it’s developed by WayForward?! Heck yeah, I’m in!
This is considered a “re-imagining” of the original game, which is kind of what Contra 4 was. So basically, this is “Contra 4-2.” (If it had online multiplayer, it’d be perfect.)
After the disaster of Contra: Rogue Corps, I think it’s fair to say that WayForward understands Contra far better than Nobuya Nakazato.
Unicorn Overlord
As soon as I saw this, I recognized Vanillaware’s art style. Don’t know if I’ll play this, but it looks gorgeous, and I like the character designs.
Noah and Mio amiibo
Coming January 19, which I admit, is sooner than I expected. We also now know what they do: they unlock more costumes. Noah and Mio will get Consul N and M skins (this has long been requested by fans), and all six characters can take their jackets off.
This isn’t super substantial (they'll likely be unlockable without the amiibo), and I don’t know if I’ll get the amiibo, but I do kinda want them anyway.
F-Zero 99
I was going to predict an F-Zero reveal one last time due to it being rumored earlier this year, but it was spoiled by the leak.
But finally, F-Zero is back! It might not be exactly what I would’ve hoped for, but an F-Zero 99 was definitely something I would’ve wanted to see as part of the, uh, “99” series(?). I think it’ll lend itself well to this, and I’m looking forward to trying it!
It’s strange that only the original four vehicles are available for a 99-payer battle royale game, but I guess it makes sense considering this is based on the original F-Zero. (Maybe they’ll add others later?)
Overall, there was quite a lot of Mario in this Direct, just as there was in the June Direct. Yeah, it makes sense because of the movie and all, but I am feeling a little bit of Mario fatigue already. (And all these games aren’t even out yet.) But there was also some representation for more obscure series’, too. I’m definitely not disappointed. I’ll grade the Direct a solid B.